Antonio was so happy to be well again that he decided to plant a whole orchard full of trees.
In a few years the trees grew up and their branches hung heavy with delicious fruit.
No one who asked was ever turned away without their share of juicy red cherries.
One day a visitor from a faraway land told Antonio that back in his country they had a fruit very much like his cherries, only sweeter and quicker to ripen.
Antonio was so curious that he just had to go see for himself.
Cherry Rhymes: click on the arrow above to listen
So off he went, and before long he returned with a new batch of saplings.
“Say hello to your sisters, now,” he told his faithful trees in a cheery voice. “Black cherries, they're called. It will be more fun for you here all together, I'm sure.”
A few years later the new trees began to grow berries of their own – and what berries they were! Pink ones, red ones, even black ones – the children in the neighbourhood shrieked with laughter as they ate basket after basket of the sweet, sweet fruit.
Soon the harvest was so big that Antonio had to open a factory to make jams and juices and pies. Just imagine all the people who came to buy them!
One morning when Antonio came to the orchard his mouth dropped open with a gasp. A chilling frost had crept in overnight after a few warm spring days, and the delicate petals were turning brown and falling to the ground. Frightened, Antonio rushed about the orchard lighting small, smoky fires to keep his trees warm. “It will be all right,” he promised them. “Soon the frost will go away and your beautiful dresses will come back.”
The warmth of the fires and Antonio's words ...
Read the whole story about CHERRY
in the book
'The World of Fruits"
For anyone interested in their child's well-being, “The Storyteller's Guide to Health” series is sure to be of value. Following each selection of delightful stories, games and activities you'll also find recipes for the vitamin-conscious kitchen. The recipes are simple, allowing children to prepare dishes themselves with only minimal supervision, and are also designed to preserve the largest possible share of vitamins and other nutrients in the final serving. Read fragments from our stories: fruits for children